The Good in the Darkness

[Valishkannaeval]

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Sanctuary
Boreal Sector

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The small ship began its descent into orbit, the vastly different landscapes beginning to unfold as one watched the planet draw closer and closer, a smile pulling at the sides of Vaulens lips; this was her home, or rather, the home she always wanted. With construction recently finishing the import of her captured creatures began days before as workers made claim to the small huts available to them and settled into their new roles.

Researchers flooded in an out of the facilities below, transferring equipment and samples between ships and the lab under site proxima. All had begun to function as it should, a proper sanctuary for the creatures of the Empire.

Landing gear was deployed as the ship lowered itself onto one of the pads of Site Proxima, the Boreal forests shadowing the surroundings as this was one of the only true openings in the tall canopy of trees. The rushing of water could be heard and the scattering of birds as gear finally touched down and engines came to a slow, finally stopping and the ship grew quiet aside from the few beasts that had joined them.

Moving her hand across the panel by exit the doors opened and the ramp extended itself to touch the lush green moss covered grounds before them. Looking back the woman spotted Asha emerging from her room, with her half smile the woman motioned to the outdoors before them.

"Welcome to sanctuary."

[member="Asha Mataya"]

 

[Asha Mataya]

It was a planet unlike any other that Asha had ever seen from the viewport of a ship. Never before had she been able to witness the result of terraforming efforts first-hand and judging from the view from space alone, it was even more fascinating than she had imagined it being. Vaulen wanted to show her the place she called home and so here they were, decending onto the planet of Sanctuary. The opportunity to see what had been described to her was certainly a good reason on its own, but in truth Asha couldn't deny to herself that getting to know Vaulen was just as much of a factor to come along, if not just slightly bigger.

As the vessel begun its landing the woman was relieved to see dusk had already set in at Site Proxima and the large trees aided in blocking out the last of the sun's rays. She remembered the first time she came in contact with direct sunlight after her transformation and it wasn't something she wished to experience again. The days spent recovering were some of the most painful and uncomfortable in her life. She did miss being out in the sun, but she was used to avoiding it now and it really wasn't so bad living without it.

What Asha did worry about just slightly, though, was how the various creatures that inhabited the planet would react to her. Not all reacted with some form of fight-or-flight response, but many did since gaining her vampiric traits. She would find out sooner rather than later, she supposed, so there was little reason to get too hung up on it now.

The ship completed its landing and as Asha made her way out of the room she stayed in during the flight, she noticed that the boarding ramp had already lowered. Vaulen waited for her and welcomed her to Sanctuary.

"The view in space definitely grabbed my attention. Where does the tour start?"

[member="Valishkannaeval"]​

 

[Valishkannaeval]

The woman watched the scenery in silence for a moment, breathing in the fresh clean air while leaning against the entry port of her ship before stepping outside. Inside her jacket the small blue weasel wrung itself free before nuzzling against Vaulen, a small smile drawing across her lips.

"Yes, you can go down to the caves. I'll see you in a few hours alright. I'll let you know before I leave." With that the creature flew off quickly, sailing through the air almost like a serpent in water towards the depths of the forest before them. Glancing back to Asha, Vaulen motioned to the outside. Visible from the treeline could be seen a few creatures gathering in wait; watching, silent as if stalking prey.

"I could show you my home first, though its much less impressive than the ship. If you'd rather skip that I can show you one of my favorite places in sanctuary?"

Vaulen stepped out of the door and into the faint moonlight, her hair pulled up in an arrangement of different braids with a few flowers and such throughout. Her clothing now was much simpler that when they were out on the Valkyrie homeworld if it had even been possible. Before her clothing was arranged in a somewhat presentable way though now was only the grey dress, pulled down and a ribbon tied around her midsection to keep the dress snug in place.

"I promise you, the animals wont do a thing to someone here to help." She waited there for Asha to step forward, reading her concerned thoughts almost like a book right before her.

[member="Asha Mataya"]

 

[Asha Mataya]

As she slowly made her way down the boarding ramp, Asha felt like she was walking into a place she didn't belong. Animals were creatures finely tuned to the cycle of life and death- yet here she was. A being who effectively violated it by her very nature. The creature that until that very moment hadn't been seen away from Vaulen's direct presence hadn't seemed to mind too much, though when her eyes were cast towards the treeline, she could only hope they would be as friendly as it. She didn't wanted herself to be kept down by those concerns, however, and so she would continue trying to shrug them off. There was no need to bother Vaulen with it, either, as long as she was able to shake the feeling, Asha concluded.

"One of your favorite places, you say," the woman thought out loud as she took her first step onto the forest ground. "I think I would like to see it myself, then."

She herself now took her turn taking in the scenery. It made her realize how long ago it had been since she had been in a place that even remotely resembed nature. Ever since leaving Selvaris Asha had made it a point to only be where the people were. From city to city she had travelled, only rarely did she venture outside of them. Sanctuary was quiet, peaceful. Only by being away from it did she see how much the urban life had taken its toll on her without allowing herself to take a step back. She had needed this more than she realized.

What Vaulen then told her was a dead giveaway that her host knew how she was feeling, causing her to let out a slight chuckle. "I used to be great with animals, until... well, until I was turned, like I explained when we first met. I miss that, connecting with an animal without them being terrified of me. I really do."

[member="Valishkannaeval"]​

 

[Valishkannaeval]

Vaulen nodded solemnly while looking on Asha, she herself couldn't imagine losing such a connection. It made her who she was, allowed her to keep this place alive, her family alive. Without this the empire likely wouldn't have a use for her, and that was something terrifying. Those who weren't useful to the Empire, well, they didn't last very long.

"I'll show you the way then, come, I promise nothing will bite." Waiting for her to step over, Vaulen would then turn to the forest and begin walking towards it. Without looking for any signs of where they were going she would continue leading them for a good forty minutes or so, eventually coming to a stop at the ends of a cavern opening. Looking up it stretched for a few hundred feet before the lip of the cave finally sealed itself and formed into a mountain which eventually crested against the dark night sky.

As they approached Vaulen tapped the stone in a few places as she walked, running her hands along the surface as they stepped inside. Oddly enough, as they continued forward it got brighter in shades of blues and purple, a dull glow filling the space as they pressed onward, eventually coming to a large cavern in the mountain, open for miles around them.

Down below could be seen a few carefully crafted huts of wood and brush found below them, and even stranger, there were trees. There was normal plant life down in these caves that would never normally survive in a underground place.

Keeping the area lit were thousands of crystals, some creatures too of glowing patterns and bright features that seemed to glow in the darkness and feed of of the natural energy of the caves. Watching the ground below them, there were people, too small to tell details from such a distance, though definite human sized life forms.

"This, is my favorite place in sanctuary..." Taking a deep breathe the woman sat and idly scanned the cavern as far as she could see, a faint smile tugging on her lips as she enjoyed the silence of the space, only filled by the distant noises of water flowing and quiet calls of the animals about.

[member="Asha Mataya"]

 

[Asha Mataya]

"I sure hope so," Asha replied, "Otherwise I'd just bite back." Dark humor was her coping mechanism to deal with feelings of grief, and nowadays there was much for her to grieve over. From her family, to Jace, to the places she once called home. Though she was young, the woman had experienced a great amount of loss already. The passage of time had healed those wounds, though scars remained that sometimes reopened, if only somewhat. The remark was made without thinking, and she considered herself lucky it wasn't as bad as the kind of comments she would usually make. It left her to wonder if it was because of the planet, Vaulen, or both that she was tranquil enough to not have to resort to more far-going 'jokes'. For now, she credited both.

"But do lead the way."

Their walk was a long and quiet one. It wasn't something Asha minded, though. Long walks eased the brain and their surroundings were nothing short of enchanting. After years of seeing nothing but city blocks, the sights, sounds, and smells made for a memorable experience. And, she had to admit to herself, the occasional sideways glance towards Vaulen weren't entirely without reason. As far as she was aware it had gone unnoticed, which she hoped was actually the case as well. The last thing she wanted was to make her host uncomfortable.

When the pair arrived at the cave Asha assumed that this was the place Vaulen had talked about, though it wasn't the kind of place she expected. Where she had originally imaged something the likes of a forest clearing or something similar, she now looked up at a massive entrance to what looked like the inside of a mountain. As they made their way inside and got further in, however, the increasingly mystical atmosphere replaced her surprise with sheer wonder once more. The blue and purple hues everything was bathed in led them to a cavern, and when Asha laid her eyes upon it she stood there in awe.

"Oh, wow," the woman muttered in disbelief of what she was seeing. "I've never seen anything like this before." For a while, she was frozen in place, too mesmerized by her surroundings to pay attention to much else. When Vaulen spoke her mind was snapped back to rest of her senses, causing Asha to turn her attention towards her. She nodded, but noticed Vaulen was looking around herself as well, likely not paying much attention to non-verbal communication in that moment.

"Thank you for taking me out here. This is the most beautiful place I have ever been to."

[member="Valishkannaeval"]

 

[Valishkannaeval]

"Many creatures can be found in small places underground like this, places most of us never see. Other well, they live here for the beauty." Vaulen looked back to Asha with a small smile on her lips, sitting on the edge and dangling her feet over the steep drop to the stone floor below. Motioning over to the open space besides her the grey haired woman then pointed to the people below. "That group down there, are one of the first species I've helped protect and keep alive in the galaxy."

A small sign escaped her lips and she closed her eyes, an unwelcome thought coming and going quickly. "The Empire may do some horrible things, but they also do good. They allowed me to make this entire planet, to save species near extinction, starting with them, Kimora, and species even long dead we only held the remnants and bones of."

"The creatures I've seen come to life, animals that haven't seen any world in centuries... Animals and species of brilliant mind that have not lived in peace in decades..." Vaulen looked down into the pit once more. "This place is my favorite in the galaxy... Something I wanted to share with you, because I see you hurt deep down, and still feel unsafe."

Asha Mataya

 

[Asha Mataya]

The beauty of the cave had taken her aback, but after the initial surprise had faded Asha still didn't entirely feel like herself. After Vaulen went to sit down at the edge, she would continue standing for some time, contemplating. Thoughts were rushing through her mind and there was little she was able to do about it, no matter what she tried her mind wasn't able to quiet down. They were thoughts that she didn't even want to admit to herself and she tried to reason them away, telling herself that all she was doing was overthink about sitting down next to another person. The truth, however, went deeper than that. Much deeper than she was comfortable with.

She regretted leaving home, and she couldn't go back. She regretting leaving her adoptive family, and she couldn't go back. Only when it was gone did she realize what she had, and when the Sith Empire put her in chains she had nothing left. What should have happened then was her spending the rest of her life as a slave or simply her execution. But instead of that, there was Vaulen and against all of her expectations of someone tied to the empire, she had shown nothing but kindness. Compassion. She trusted Asha, despite who, what, she was and what she had done. The ashen-haired woman had done nothing to deserve it, but she received it nonetheless.

Vaulen was a caring soul. She was kind, gentle, pure, and so many more things Asha couldn't put into words.

And then there was that smile. That damn smile. The way her lips tugged upward had something captivating to it.

With that, she finally admitted to herself the way she felt. Not that it made her thoughts any less loud and chaotic, nor did it stop her from overthinking something simple as sitting down or not. Quite simply said, she was a mess trying to keep it together on the outside. Even if this feeling was what she thought it was, it made little sense. That, or Vaulen was different from everyone else. Asha then had to conclude that perhaps it made at least some sense, after all. She couldn't quite decide if that was for better, or worse.

Go sit down, Asha. Just do it.

If Vaulen were to look next to her, she could see Asha slowly approaching the ledge. The ashen-haired woman looked down for a moment. The scenery down belong was taken in as a way of avoiding eye contact for now. Then, Asha finally went to sit down. Her heart was racing.

Valishkannaeval

 

[Valishkannaeval]

"The Empire may not be the kindest place in the galaxy, though some people in its midst have a heart." The woman looked across the expanse, a few large bat like creatures soaring across the cavern before them; faint light of crystals shimmering off of leathery wings and reflecting onto the walls surface only further illuminating the space. Farther rested a small forest of trees, alive and well living off of the bioluminescent energy of the surrounding space. When focused on, the entire area radiated with a sort of soothing aura.

"I have dedicated my life to preserving everything I can of this world, and all others. So much senseless violence taken out on living beings not a part of any mans war. Though I may not agree with methods at times, the Empire is what keeps this dream alive." She looked back down to the group below, the glimmer in her eye fading slightly. "Unfortunately though, not all can be saved."

Turning back Vaulen looked to Asha once more, biting the edge of her lip in uncertainty. "I hate to press a matter so pressuring on you, though the other reason I brought you here was to ask if you'd like to help in my goals. You see terror in your eyes, pain you have caused. That's not who you are, and perhaps you need something to remind you of the good inside."

Asha Mataya

 

[Asha Mataya]

Vaulen wanted her help. Her help. The question left Asha in conflict with herself. She didn't know who she was anymore, having lived so many lives in her short time in the galaxy. There was an endless struggle in her head, two voices pulling her in different directions. One who told her to find her 'true' self, while the other told her to create that self. Either it was destiny, or it wasn't.

If destiny existed, was this hers? To help Vaulen in her cause? What if it didn't, was this the path she wanted to take? Did she even deserve it after who she had been?

Right now, Asha was someone she didn't want to be. A step away from a monster, living from day to day, surrounded by uncertainty. If she could mold who she was then this was a good path to take, she decided. If it was in the hands of destiny, she was willing to roll the dice. Another abandoned life wouldn't hurt her much more.

Then Asha noticed the lip bite. In that moment, all of her doubts fell away. The answer was obvious now.

"I... Yeah." The woman nodded. "I could give it a shot."

Perhaps her feelings for Vaulen skewed the picture. If that was the case, Asha didn't mind it.

"I'm little more than a drifter," Asha said with a scoff, "and still you care. It means a lot to me. And, well..." A long pause lingered in the air, as she played with an ashen lock. A small pit formed in her stomach.

"Gods, I'm awful at this." She instantly realized she said that out loud. Her cheeks ran a little red as she looked away.

Valishkannaeval ​